Don't Fade Away
by Ferngully
Summary: 01-02-03 Crossover Fic; Dark voices whisper about the Crests, 2 worlds have disappeared, what was once real is now forgetten, and a lost memory keeps playing in a dream, a monster warning, "You cannot kill what has already fused it's self with Time..."
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Hey, everyone! This is a crossover fic of Digimon 01 and 02 and Digimon Tamers (although the Tamers aren't in the first chapter...sorry!).   
  
To those of you who have read my other digimon crossover fic, Dark Waves (just so you don't think you're having deja vu or something): As you all know, I wrote eight chapters of my other crossover fic (Dark Waves), but I decided to rework it entirely (although some scenes in later chapters may be similar from that story). The dark ocean most likely won't be a big focus of the story, the connection between the Tamers and the Digidestined is different now, the crests will play a huge role in the story (including the addition of some new crests), and there will be a clear-cut antagonist/villain (I hadn't really come up with one in my Dark Waves story...it was more like the dark ocean in that one) that is hinted at in this chapter, but not actually introduced until later on in the story. The reason why I decided to redo it was because I had started that fic back in high school (although I didn't post it until recently) and I felt I could do a bit better (although I still don't know if I'm entirely pleased yet...), especially researching up on a few things on some of the digimon games (which some of this is going to be loosely based on) and getting some really interesting ideas from it, and I no longer wanted to write just the dialogue but would rather do prose. There were other reasons, but those were the two main ones, I suppose. Oh, and you happen to like that fic better than this one, I may still go back to writing that one, so no need to worry yet!   
  
Anyways, back to everyone else! I'd like to first note that the Digidestined/Tamer's digimon will be discussed but not really in this story because there are already twenty characters in this story with just the Tamers and Digidestined alone; if I had their digimon play a prominent role, there'd be forty main characters in the story, which is just way too much, in my opinion. Also, I'll be referring to the characters by their full names when I first introduce them, but will be mainly sticking to the names in the American version of their names just because I'm used of them. However, I'll be referring to Joe and Mimi's crests as their Japanese counterparts, Joe's crest being "Faith" and Mimi's being "Purity" just because I happen to like those better (although I like "sincerity"...but "reliability" really has nothing on "faith," in my opinion). Lastly, this takes place after the second Tamers movie (which I never actually saw), meaning that Takato and the others have already found their digimon and a way back into the digital world (which is kind of implied at the end of the series, anyway). Anyways, have fun reading! Oh, and try guessing who's speaking in the prologue (because it's fun! LOL!)! Well, R&R!   
  
Prologue: A Dream of a Memory  
  
"There's a point where my memories just stop. I don't know why, but beyond a certain point, I've completely forgotten everything - who I was and how I came to be who I am now. What I'm told has always been - my home, my family, my life in this world - I can't remember always being, and the more I try to prove to myself that it has always been, the more I think that it has never really been at all; that there's some other world that I've forgotten and some other life that I used to live before I started living this one.   
  
"But I shouldn't say I've forgotten everything completely; there's this dream I keep having. It's a dream of a memory - a memory that's been stuck in the back of my head for as long as I can remember. It didn't bother me at first; I thought it was just my imagination. But now the pieces are starting to become clearer - there are faces now focusing in my mind and I'm starting to hear the voices that belong to them, but I still can't remember who it is that I'm really seeing; they're just faces and voices of people I should know, but who are now strangers to me for some reason. There are no names, no histories, no personalities, well, except for what I make up from the few fuzzy images I seem to remember and the few muddled words I sometimes hear, and no link to me - other than the dream itself, that is. But they're people I used to know, I think, but who didn't know me, and there's one who I think was a friend of mine; and they're all in a different place, a place that's similar to this one, but still different somehow - a different world that I think I used to call home.   
  
"And there's this man - this monster - that I keep trying to forget, but there's still a piece of him inside of me that won't go away no matter how much I want it to or how hard I try; there's always those two familiar eyes glaring at me every time I close my own eyes, and a voice that I'm afraid of, although I don't exactly understand why I'm so afraid of it, always warning me of the same thing: 'You cannot kill what has already fused it's self with Time…'"  
  
Chapter 1: Graduation

"Tai! Tai, wake up! We're going to be late!"  
  
Tai Kamiya groaned at the sound of his mother's voice calling to him, and turned on his side, placing his pillow over his ear.  
  
"Tai!"  
  
Tai let out another annoyed groan before calling out again, "All right! All right! I'm getting up…" With a third groan he sat up in bed, scowl on his face. "I don't see why I have to go…" he grumbled to himself as he placed his feet on the floor, although still sitting in bed. "Going to school on a Sunday…and on the first Sunday of summer vacation, at that!" He sighed, staring down at his feet, reluctant to actually stand up. "And I'm so tired!" he exclaimed with a yawn, closed his eyes, and fell back onto his pillow.  
  
It was only a moment later that his bedroom door opened, his sister's voice saying, "Hey, Tai, how do I -" Kari Kamiya, dressed in her graduation robe, stopped, however, upon noticing her brother still in bed. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips, and said, "I should have know you were still in bed."  
  
"Huh?" Tai muttered upon hearing Kari's voice and opened his eyes to see Kari standing in his doorway. "Oh, hey, Kari…"  
  
"Aren't you going to get up? The ceremony is going to start soon and mom and dad said we're leaving in fifteen minutes," Kari informed her brother.  
  
Tai groaned yet again. "We are?" Kari nodded. "Why does the stupid ceremony have to be so early?"  
  
"Ten o'clock isn't that early, Tai."  
  
"Yes, it is…" Tai grumbled, closing his eyes again.  
  
Kari let out a sigh, but then smiled and asked, "So, how do I look?"   
  
Forcing his eyes open, Tai replied, "Fine, I guess." Kari frowned by her brother's lack of enthusiasm, but said nothing in response as Tai continued on complaining, "I don't see why I have to go…it's not that big of a deal, you know."  
  
"Sure, it is!" Kari exclaimed with a grin. "Today I'm graduating junior high! And next fall I'll be starting high school. And I've got all the pictures developed that I took at Ken's graduation last week so I can show everyone today, and -"  
  
"That's not what I mean; what I mean is, is that it's not like you really accomplished anything," Tai explained. "I mean, you're good at everything, Kari; of course you were going to graduate. You probably didn't even have to try. But then take someone stupid, like-like Davis. The kid can barely figure out his left from his right and he's graduating today. Now THAT'S accomplishment."  
  
Kari scrunched her eyebrows and frowned in dismay, but before she could say anything, Mrs. Kamiya came pleasantly walking by. Upon noticing her son still lazily laying in bed, she grew cross, scowl forming on her face, and marched in. With a frustrated sigh, she shouted, "Tai, get up!"  
  
Hearing the very angry voice of his mother only a few feet away from him, Tai immediately shot up in bed with a cringe. "Morning, mom…"  
  
Mrs. Kamiya just narrowed her eyes and said, "We're leaving in fifteen minutes, Tai. You BETTER be ready on time." Tai gave his mother a nervous half smile. She then turned her glare from him, but as soon as her eyes set on Kari, her anger melted away. "Oh, Kari! You look wonderful!" she exclaimed, giving her daughter a hug. "I'm so proud of you!"  
  
Tai rolled his eyes as his mother gushed over the ever modest Kari and he finally got out of bed. He then muttered to himself, "Well, at least Matt will be there…"  
  
Matt Ishida frowned as he stood in the junior high hallway, filled with many parents, students, and teachers busily making their way to the auditorrium, waiting for his father, who was a few yards behind trying to do his tie. "Come on, dad," he called out to him as his patience began to wear.  
  
"I'm trying!" Mr. Ishida called back growing frustrated with his tie. Finally, he stopped in his tracks and slammed his foot on the floor. "Damn it! Why can't I figure this stupid thing out?"  
  
Matt sighed. "I've only shown you a million times, dad."  
  
"I know…" Mr. Ishida reluctantly admitted. "Are you sure I have to wear the stupid thing, anyway?"  
  
"Yes, dad," Matt answered flatly before offering, "You just want me to do it?"  
  
"Fine…" Mr. Ishida accepted with some difficulty. "I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually, though…" Matt just shook his head while he walked back to his father and then started doing his tie for him. Mr. Ishida then began, "So…do you think your mother's here yet?"  
  
"Probably," Matt answered nonchalantly, "Considering the graduates are supposed to be here early."  
  
"Oh, right…" Mr. Ishida trailed off. Worriedly, he asked, "We're not late, are we?"  
  
Matt just smiled and replied, "No, dad."  
  
"That's good. Because you know how upset your mother would get…"  
  
"I'm done," Matt said as he finished and took a step back from his father.  
  
"Huh?" Mr. Ishida asked, and, once realizing what Matt had been talking about, said, "Oh, thanks." He then took a deep breath. "Okay, today's the big day. I can handle this."  
  
Matt couldn't help but laugh. "What are you so nervous about, anyway, dad?"  
  
"Nervous? Do I look nervous?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Well, I'm not… I mean, I am…a little," Mr. Ishida struggled to answer. Then, he finally sighed and said, "It's just that, you don't understand what it's like being a father. TK's now graduating junior high and soon he's going to graduate high school and college and then you're going to be getting married and having kids-"  
  
"Kids, dad?" Matt questioned with a chuckle. "I'm not even out of high school yet."  
  
"I KNOW that," Mr. Ishida answered. "What I'm trying to say is that you kids are growing up way too fast for me."  
  
"It's not that fast, dad. You're worrying too much."  
  
"I know…do you think your mother will think I look nervous?"  
  
"DAD," Matt exclaimed in exasperation.  
  
"Hey, Matt!" a familiar voice called out and Matt turned to see Tai waving to him from down the hall, Kari beside him.  
  
"Hey, Tai," Matt called back as Tai ran up to him, Kari following behind. "You two just get here?"  
  
"Yeah," Tai answered when he reached him. "My parents are getting seats now and I thought I'd walk Kari to where the graduates are waiting."  
  
"But shouldn't Kari have been here awhile ago?" Matt asked.  
  
Tai grinned nervously as Kari smiled weakly and said, "Tai kind of had a hard time getting up this morning…" She then put on a warm smile when she noticed Mr. Ishida and said, "Oh, hello, Mr. Ishida."  
  
"Hello, Kari," Mr. Ishida said with a smile. "Congratulations."  
  
Kari modestly replied, "Thanks!"  
  
"Hey, look! Kari's here!" Yolei Inoue's voice now came down the hall and Kari turned to see Yolei standing with TK Takaishi, dressed in the same graduation robe as Kari was, Cody Hida, and Ken Ichijouji.  
  
"Hi, guys!" Kari called out to them with a grin and a wave.  
  
"Dad! Matt!" TK exclaimed upon seeing his father and brother and quickly hurried over.   
  
"Hey, TK; congratulations!" Matt congratulated his brother with a grin. "Great job. You should be very proud."  
  
"Thanks, Matt," TK said, giving his brother a hug.  
  
"Couldn't you be a little bit more appreciative of me, like that, Tai?" Kari whispered to her brother, gesturing to Matt and TK.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, congratulations," Tai muttered half-heartedly and Kari just sighed.  
  
Meanwhile, TK had turned to his father. "Hi, dad."  
  
Mr. Ishida, a bit nervous, cleared his throat and said, "Good job, son," as he patted him on the shoulder.   
  
TK gave an awkward half-smile. "Thanks, dad…I guess." Mr. Ishida frowned, but TK was already grinning as he turned to Kari and took her by the hand, saying, "Come on, Kari! Everybody's been waiting to see you!"   
  
As TK pulled Kari down the hall towards Yolei and the others, Kari called out, "I'll see you later, Tai! Bye! And nice seeing you Mr. Ishida!"  
  
When the two were already down the hall, Mr. Ishida asked, still frowning, "That was bad, right?"  
  
Matt frowned and nodded. "Kind of…but you'll do better after the ceremony."  
  
"And I practiced what I was going to say on Kari, too…" Mr. Ishida mumbled, still frowning. "Well, I'm going to go find a seat…probably next to your mother because I know TK would like that…I'll see you in a little while, all right?" Matt nodded and Mr. Ishida then left Tai and Matt to themselves.  
  
"Three words and he couldn't get it right, huh?" Tai asked with a frown.  
  
"Well, at least he tries…sort of…" Then, changing the subject, Matt inquired, "So, what did Izzy said?"  
  
Tai smiled now. "He said he'll have Kari and the others' digimon here by after the ceremony; it's going to be a great graduation present, don't you think?" Matt nodded, grinning as well. "And Kari thinks I don't appreciate her!"  
  
"And there's Ken in front of the school," Kari said as she flipped through her photos of Ken's graduation for Ken, TK, Yolei, and Cody to see. "And there's Ken with Yolei and Cody. And there's -"  
  
"We can see, you know, Kari," Yolei pointed out and Kari frowned.  
  
"Oh, right. Sorry."  
  
"Anyway, I'm so excited that you've only finally graduated!" Yolei exclaimed. "It's been so lonely in high school all by myself this last year. But next year, all you guys will be there."  
  
"Except me," Cody added with some disappointment.  
  
"Don't worry, Cody; we'll come and visit you!" Yolei assured her friend. Then, looking back at Kari's photos, she said, "Oh, that's a nice one of you and TK, Kari."  
  
"Thanks, Yolei," Kari said, blushing slightly as she looked down at the photo of her and TK with his arm around her. Then, she flipped to the next one. "Oh, here's one of Ken with his parents."  
  
"Isn't that sweet!" Yolei exclaimed.   
  
"Do you want to have it, Ken?" She handed it to Ken.  
  
"Sure, Kari; thanks," he replied with a warm smile.  
  
"Don't mention it," Kari assured him and then looked down at the next photo. "Here's one of Ken and Davis." A puzzled look then fell onto Kari's face as she looked around. "Hey, where is Davis, anyway?"  
  
"Oh, I think he went off to talk to some friends with soccer…" TK answered.  
  
"You want me to get him?" Yolei asked.  
  
Kari nodded as she held up her camera. "Yeah; I want to get some pictures of him and us before the ceremony." Yolei nodded and then was off down the hall.  
  
"And if I'm good enough, I'll get to play on the varsity team!" Davis Motomiya, dressed in his graduation robe, was saying, grin wide and eyes wider with excitement as he stood with a half a dozen of his teammates and fellow graduates. "And, more importantly, with Tai Kamiya! I can't wait!"  
  
"Yeah, but it's nearly impossible for a freshman to get on the varsity soccer team," one of Davis's fellow graduates noted with a frown and the others nodded, equally depressed by this realization.  
  
All but Davis, that is. "Come on, guys! Don't give up before you've even tried! There's still a chance!"  
  
"A really small chance," another retorted and Davis frowned.  
  
However, he then crossed his arms and stubbornly argued, "Well, I'm not going to give up that easily."  
  
"That's because you've always been a glutton for punishment, Davis," the first insisted.  
  
Now Davis grew perplexed and inquired, "What's a glutton?"  
  
The boys all broke into laughter as Davis frowned, cheeks turning pink.  
  
"See what I mean?" the first began through his laughter. "Davis really is a glutton for punishment!" The boys all laughed harder, nodding in agreement.   
  
"Yeah, it would definitely take a miracle for you to get on varsity, Davis; I mean, it's still a wonder how you even graduated junior high!" a third exclaimed. Davis's teammates laughed even harder and Davis's face now became a bright shade of red.  
  
"Well, see you after the ceremony, Davis!" one now said as the group started ambulating off down the hall towards the other graduates, leaving an embarrassed, confused, and annoyed Davis alone in the hall.  
  
"Bye!" a second said before the group became part of the bigger crowd.  
  
Davis scowled slightly as he stood there, "It's not that big of a wonder," he grumbled to himself as he kicked at the floor. Then he stubbornly added, "And I'm NOT a glutton, whatever THAT is…" He frowned with a sigh, however and leaned against the wall. He then looked up toward the ceiling. "And it wouldn't take a miracle to get on Tai's team, would it…?"  
  
"Huh?" Davis stood up straight as he suddenly heard the sound of whispering coming to his ear, although too quiet for Davis to fully make out. He narrowed his eyes and listened carefully as the whispers grew louder.   
  
"Miracle, miracle, miracle," the strange voices whispered about him-at least, that's what it sounded like they were whispering to Davis, as if echoing his own words and bouncing them off the hallway walls.  
  
Davis scrunched up his eyebrows and frowned in puzzlement. "Miracle?" he asked out loud to himself. Then, he turned his head toward where the voices were coming from, the dark, empty end of the corridor, and called out warily, "Hello? Is someone there?"  
  
"Miracles, miracles, miracles," the voices hissed, adding an "s" now, as Davis began to walk toward the voices, wherever they were coming from, almost entranced by them.  
  
"Is he the one?"  
  
"Is he-"  
  
"The crest-"  
  
"He'd kill him first."  
  
"He'll kill him before-"  
  
"Miracles, miracles, miracles…"  
  
And the voices kept whispering around Davis, growing louder and fiercer, each cutting the other off in their frenzy, as Davis walked further down the hall into the darkness. Davis narrowed his eyes in his perplexity now, and asked again, this time with a small tremor in his throat "Hello?" He then went to turn the corridor, the whispers still screaming in his ear.  
  
Davis let out a gasp as he suddenly felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. He immediately spun around and, to his relief, saw Yolei standing their looking very confused. "Jeez, Yolei! You scared me half to death!"  
  
"Sorry, Davis," Yolei apologized. She then curiously inquired, "Just what were you doing, anyway?"  
  
"Well, there were these voices and-" Davis stopped himself, however, and paused to listen. Frowning in his confusion, he said, "Hey, they're gone now."  
  
"Voices, Davis?" Yolei asked, shaking her head with a snicker. "You sure are strange."  
  
"I'm not strange!" Davis defended himself. "And there were voices!"  
  
"Whatever you say," Yolei replied with a smirk, obviously not believing him in the slightest.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Come on, Davis," Yolei interrupted, taking Davis by the wrist. "The ceremony's going to start soon and Kari wants to get some pictures of you."  
  
"But-" Davis tried to protest once more, but Yolei was already pulling him down the hall, back towards the others and away from the darkness.  
  
Yawning loudly and stretching out his arms, Tai sat in the audience, his mother on his left and Matt on his right, as the junior high principal made his graduation speech at the podium, Kari, TK, Davis, and the other graduates sitting behind him. "This is so boring!" he whispered loudly and then added, "And it's so hot!" Matt sighed, placing his hand to his forehead, looking very embarrassed, and Mrs. Kamiya looked ready to strangle her son for making such a scene.  
  
"You could at least try and enjoy yourself, Tai," Matt muttered.  
  
"I'm trying…" Tai weakly argued before slouching in his seat. "But it's not my fault it's so boring. Can't they just give out the diplomas and be done with it already?"  
  
"Tai, be quiet!" Mrs. Kamiya scolded in a fierce whisper. "And, for God's sake, would it kill you to sit up?"  
  
"No, mom," Tai mumbled and reluctantly sat up.  
  
"Look at your sister; doesn't she look wonderful?" Mrs. Kamiya asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, mom," Tai answered indifferently.  
  
"I remember when you were up there," his mother continued, growing misty eyed. "Oh, you kids grow up so fast." Then, after Tai let out another loud yawn. Mrs. Kamiya narrowed her eyes and added bitterly, "If only you'd start acting like it."  
  
"Funny, funny, mom," Tai sarcastically remarked.  
  
"Still, you were so handsome sitting up there in your blue graduation robe, just like Kari is now," Mrs. Kamiya continued.  
  
"Oh, I remember that," Mr. Kamiya now chimed in, leaning over his wife so that both she and Tai could hear. "Didn't Tai fall asleep during the proceedings, honey?"  
  
Mrs. Kamiya frowned bitterly at the memory. "Unfortunately, I remember that quite vividly."  
  
Mr. Kamiya then leaned farther over his wife and whispered to Tai, "Don't worry, Tai; I always found these things really boring, myself."  
  
"Honey!" Mrs. Kamiya scolded in a loud whisper and then grew red as she noticed people turning around and staring at her in her family. Tai began to snicker and his father leaned back into his seat.  
  
It was then that Izzy Izumi, pale and distraught, entered the auditorium, laptop tucked under his arm. Quietly, he closed the door and quickly made his way to where Tai and Matt sat. Sliding into the row behind them and taking a seat, he tapped Tai on the shoulder and whispered, "Hey, Tai."  
  
Both Tai and Matt turned around in surprise. "Hey, Izzy; what are you doing here now?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah; I thought we were supposed to meet outside the school after the ceremony was over," Tai added, but Izzy shook his head.  
  
"I couldn't wait to tell you," Izzy said, swallowing hard.  
  
Matt now frowned, noticing the panic in Izzy's eyes, and asked worriedly, "Izzy, what's wrong?"  
  
"It's the digital world; I thought it was just my laptop. Or maybe just Japan, but then I called Mimi-"  
  
"Mimi?" Tai asked, growing anxious.  
  
Izzy nodded. "Our world is totally cut off from the digital world."  
  
"What?" Matt questioned.   
  
"Totally cut off?" Tai repeated, just as surprised.  
  
"Shh!" a few annoyed whispers came from the crowd.  
  
Tai lowered his voice. "Totally cut off, Izzy? What do you mean totally cut off?"  
  
"I mean that we can't get in contact with it at all," Izzy explained, but then shook his head. "No, it's as if the digital world never existed at all!"  
  
Tai gasped. "Never existed?"  
  
"But that would mean that Gabumon and the others would have never…" Matt trailed off in his own worry.  
  
"That's not possible, is it, Izzy?" Tai asked. "It can't be."  
  
"I don't know; all I know is that the gates aren't closed-they're gone completely. And any data that had anything to do with the digital world is gone from my laptop and the internet. It's like someone erased all traces of the digital world, past and present."  
  
"And future, too, then," Matt added in fear, and Izzy nodded in solemn agreement.  
  
Tai, however, narrowed his eyes with fierce determination in his eyes. "Come on; we have to get the others," he ordered and went to get up. However, his mother quickly took hold of his arm.  
  
"Just where do you think you're going?" Mrs. Kamiya questioned with suspicious eyes. "The ceremony isn't over yet."  
  
"I have to go; there's an emergency, mom!" Tai exclaimed in a loud whisper.  
  
"Emergency?" Mrs. Kamiya asked with some worry, and still much suspicion. "What's wrong?"   
  
"I can't explain it to you now, but-"  
  
"Tai, you're making a scene," Matt cut him off in a whisper now, noticing the other people staring at them. "Besides, we can't get TK, Kari, or Davis until after the ceremony's over, anyway."  
  
Tai sighed reluctantly and slumped back into his seat. He then turned back to Izzy. "Izzy, get Joe and Sora and bring them here. And call Mimi back and tell her to find anyway to get back to Japan, all right? The others are all here; me and Matt will get them together and tell them what's going on-well, as much as we know about it, anyway. We'll meet outside the school, like we had planned."  
  
Izzy nodded. "All right." He then got up and left, ready to follow out Tai's orders.  
  
"Never existed…" Matt wondered aloud with lost, melancholy eyes and Tai frowned as he looked at the doubt that already seemed to be in his friend.  
  
And Mrs. Kamiya, fear now trembling in her panicked whispers, "What's wrong, Tai? Tell me what's wrong, Tai."  
  
Yet Tai didn't know the answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it took me so long to post this! I guess I was kind of scared by all the great reviews because I'm not sure if this story will actually live up to all of your expectations! LOL!   
  
Anyways, here's chapter two (the Tamers make an appearance so yay!). I think it's kind of slow moving and it's taking awhile for stuff to happen; this, I think, is mainly due to the fact that I have such a large cast of characters (twenty or so) that I'm trying my best to have all be involved in the storyline because I really love all the characters and don't want to put one over the other. I think doing the Tamers side of the story is slightly easier as of now because there are lesser characters than 01 and 02 (considering their kind of together) and in Tamers, the story was a lot more focused on Takato, Rika, and Henry as compared to the other Tamers, so I don't feel as bad focusing primarily on them whereas in 01 and 02, the characters were much more balanced. That's also why, I think, the Tamers parts tend to be shorter than the 01/02 ones because there are less characters to deal with, so sorry about that! Anyway, I'd also like to apologize for this story being kind of moving slow as of now, but hopefully it will pick up eventually once I can first get all the characters introduced into the actually story (all twenty of them) and stuff...sigh...  
  
Also, some of this (I believe the latter portion of this, particularly Tai and Mimi's conversation) is taken from another one of my Digimon fics, Dark Waves, which I may have mentioned when I posted chapter one of this story. However, it's altered in some parts and the scene isn't placed where it was in the original storyline, so...  
  
Anyways, here goes for chapter 2! Again, I'm kind of nervous now because all of your reviews were so nice and filled with such high expectations and I don't know if this story will turn out as great as you all expect, mainly due to the fact that, as of now, it really is moving along slowly because of all the characters involved. But I still hope (and pray) you all enjoy chapter two as much as you did chapter one!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Terriermon!" Henry Wong called out as he walked down the hall of his home. "Terriermon!' Growing a bit concerned, he asked, "Hey, Terriermon, where are you?"  
  
As he entered the living room, where his father sat on the couch, he asked, "Hey, Dad, have you seen Terriermon?"   
  
Looking up from his paper, Mr. Wong turned to his son with much confusion. "Terriermon? What's that?"  
  
Henry let out a laugh. "Very funny, dad. But have you seen him?"  
  
Mr. Wong frowned. "I'm sorry, Henry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
Crossing his arms and growing a bit frustrated, Henry answered, "You know-big floppy ears, says momentai a lot. That Terriermon."  
  
"Henry, are you sure you're feeling all right?" Mr. Wong now asked as he placed his newspaper on the coffee table and stood up.  
  
"I'm fine, dad," Henry answered. "But this really isn't funny anymore. Now, where is Terriermon hiding?" His eyes scanned the room.  
  
"Henry, he isn't hiding anywhere, at least not that I know of," Mr. Wong answered. "Now just what or who is this Terriermon anyway?"  
  
"Dad, you already know what Terriermon is; a digimon."  
  
"A digimon?" Mr. Wong questioned, still completely baffled. "What on earth is that?"  
  
"Oh, come on, dad! You're just the one who created them!" Henry exclaimed with a laugh, but Mr. Wong frowned.  
  
"I'm really not sure what you're talking about, Henry, but maybe you should sit down…" He went to take his son by the arm, but Henry pulled away, suddenly growing very worried as he looked up at his father's sincerely confused eyes.  
  
Shaking his head, Henry pushed past his father, calling out, "Terriermon! Terriermon, where are you? Terriermon!"  
  
Mr. Wong took a step forward. "Henry-"  
  
"Terriermon! Terriermon, I'm being serious! This isn't funny anymore, so answer me! Terriermon!" Henry's voice started cracking with his own fear when his sister came running into the living room, tears flinging from her eyes.  
  
She clung onto her brother's leg, sobbing frantically, "Henry! Henry! I can't find Lopmon! I don't know where she is! Henry! Henry!"  
  
And his new revelation sunk deep into his heart.  
  
"Takato! Phone call!" Takato Matsuda's mother called up to him as he lay on his bed that late Sunday morning drawing.  
  
"I got it, mom!" he called back down the stairs and then got up to pick up the phone on his desk. "Hello?…Oh, hi, Henry…Guilmon?…No, I haven't…no, not today; why?…What? Are you sure?…All right, I'll go to the park now, Henry…all right…don't worry, Henry; I'm sure there's some…all right. I'll see you soon. Bye." Takato hung up the phone and immediately headed to the park.  
  
"But how can he not be here?" Takato questioned in horror, clutching onto the bars and looking into the little home that he had set up for Guilmon in the park to see that Guilmon was no longer there.  
  
"I don't know, Takato; I just don't know…" Henry answered, clenching his fists in his own pain and trying to hold back his fear and tears.   
  
"But…where are the holes he dug up?" Takato asked. "It's like he was never here at all." He then dropped his hands from the bars and lowered his head, tears starting to fall from his eyes.  
  
"Never here at all," Henry repeated. "That's what dad acted like. He didn't even know who Terriermon didn't even exist!" He hit his hand against one of the tree trunks in his anger.  
  
Takato, lifting his head and wiping his eyes with his arm, asked, "But what do we do, Henry? What can we do?"  
  
"I don't know," Henry answered, shaking his head in his own despair. "I have no idea what to do at all."  
  
"Maybe we should call Rika. And then the others," Takato suggested, his voice trembling as were his hands.  
  
Suddenly hearing footsteps, both boys looked up to see Rika Nonaka suddenly standing there, her lavender eyes wet and grim. "Guilmon's isn't there, is he?" she questioned sharply, her tears getting caught in her throat. "I couldn't find Renamon this morning. I looked everywhere. And when I asked my mom and grandma if they knew where she was, they had no idea what I was talking about. So I came here to see if Guilmon was still here…and to see if Renamon was with him."  
  
The three stood there for a long time in silence, only the wind blowing past them making any sort of sound in the park. Then, Rika finally decided, "We have to call the others."  
  
"And tell them what?" Henry questioned angrily. "That we have no idea what's going on? A lot of good that will do. And the others probably have figured it out already, anyway."   
  
"We should still call," Rika firmly repeated.  
  
Takato frowned and then tried to suggest, "Maybe we can try and talk to Mr. Yamaki-"  
  
"If my father doesn't remember anything about digimon, what makes you think he will, Takato?" Henry interrupted and Takato frowned even more, looking to his feet.  
  
"He doesn't know anything either?" Rika asked and Henry just looked away. "So that means just us Tamers know, right?"  
  
"That's what it seems like, anyway," Henry muttered. "And none of us are scientists or doctors; we don't know enough about digimon to actually figure out what's going on."  
  
"Well, maybe we could go to the digital world and get some answers," Takato offered.  
  
"But we don't know how to get there and back home on our own, either," Henry rebutted. "My father and the others were the ones who helped us do that."  
  
"All we need is a digital gate, right?" Takato asked.  
  
"But isn't that a little bit dangerous?" Henry questioned.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Takato admitted, and his eyes fell back down to his feet.  
  
"It doesn't matter, anyway," Rika the spoke up. "I was by the tunnel looking for Renamon and there was no longer a gate there. And, by the looks of things, there doesn't seem to be one here either anymore."  
  
Takato looked to Guilmon's home and shook his head. "No; everything's just gone. Guilmon, the digital gate, maybe the whole digital world even. How is that even possible?"  
  
Henry did not answer, but instead let out a frustrated sigh. "This is just great! Just what are we-" Henry was cut off, however, by the sound of Rika gasping. "Huh?"  
  
"What's wrong, Rika?" Takato asked worriedly, noticing the frightened distress now on Rika's face.  
  
"Ryo. Ryo was in the digital world, and now it's gone, does that mean that he's…" she trailed off, unable to finish and both Takato and Henry looked at each other with frightened eyes, unsure what the answer was and fearing what it could be.  
  
"I'm sure he's fine, Rika," Takato tried to assure her as well as himself. "He has to be…he's one of us, right?" But all three seemed very doubtful.  
  
"And he's probably the only one out of the eight of us who would have even the slightest idea what was going on and what to do about it," Henry pointed out bitterly.  
  
"Maybe one of us should go to his house and see if his father knows where he is," Takato suggested. "Maybe he came home before…"  
  
"I'll go," Rika immediately answered before the suggestion was even agreed upon. "You two can go get Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta. We'll meet back here as soon as we can, all right?"  
  
And there was nothing else for the boys to do but agree.  
  
Rika arrived at Ryo's apartment building as noon was nearing. Something was uneasy in her as she stepped in front of the door, as if something was unfamiliar about the home. Still, she knocked anyway and waited.   
  
To her dismay, no one answered. She knocked again, and still no answer. However, unwilling to give up, she went to the neighboring apartment and knocked on the door.  
  
A woman she didn't recognize answered the door. "May I help you, miss?" the woman asked a bit puzzled.  
  
Rika, with a frown and pink cheeks, asked, "Um…yes…I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for Mr. Akiyama. I'm a friend of Ryo's. My name's Rika and-"  
  
"Ryo? Who's Ryo?" the woman inquired.  
  
"Oh, um, Ryo Akiyama. He's Mr. Akiyama's son. Anyway, Mr. Akiyama lives in the room right next door to yours and I was wondering if you've seen him around lately or if you know when he'll be home. It's kind of important."  
  
The woman now frowned. "I'm sorry, miss, but no one by the name Akiyama lives in this building. And I don't know anyone by that name, either."  
  
"You don't?" Rika asked in her own despair and the woman shook her head. "Well, maybe they moved-"  
  
"Well, it must have been a long time ago, then, since no one's lived in that apartment for the last fourteen years. It's been completely vacant"  
  
"The last fourteen years? Are you sure?" Rika asked in shock and the woman solemnly nodded. "Oh, well, then…I'm sorry to bother you…"  
  
The woman then closed the door and Rika began down the hall with a fearful look in her sorrowful eyes and a frown. However, when she just reached the end of the hall, the woman's door opened again and she called out, "Wait, miss!" Rika turned around in surprise. "My husband says that a boy about fourteen years old or so came around early this morning, around eight or so, asking about the apartment next door. He said his name was Ryo Akiyama."  
  
Rika now grinned. "Thank you, ma'am! Do you know where he went at all?"  
  
The woman shook her head and said, "No, but he left a note with my husband and said to give it to anyone who came by asking about him." The woman held a letter in her hand.  
  
"A note?" Rika questioned and walked back.  
  
"Here, take it," the woman told her and handed her the letter. Rika nodded and accepted it. It was in a plain white envelope that only had the name "Ryo" written in script, by none other than Ryo himself. "Thank you, ma'am. Goodbye"  
  
"Goodbye, miss, and good luck finding him. I'm sure he couldn't have gotten too far" And then Rika started off down the hall and then down the stairs. She stared down at the letter and Ryo's name in both wonder and bewilderment, but, above all things, her hope was restored; at least she knew that Ryo still existed.  
  
"Don't you remember? Don't you?"  
  
"She's the Master of the Crests."  
  
"The Master!"  
  
"Master of the Crests?" Kari wondered as she stood in the strange dark void listening to the strange whispering voices. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and shivered. "It's so cold…"  
  
"That's who you are, isn't it?" a deep voice spoke then and Kari looked up with a gasp to see a figure standing a few yards in front of her, masked in shadow and eyes glowing red. A chuckle escaped his lips. "The Master of the Crests."  
  
"I…I don't know," Kari answered, taking a step back as she tried to hold in her fear of the creature that stood before her.  
  
"You are the only one I need; kill the others and gather the crests for me."  
  
Kari's eyes widened in horror and she shook her head. "Kill the others? I'd never-"  
  
"But it's your destiny, Kari. You are, after all, their master, and I, in turn, am master over you."  
  
But Kari just shook her head again, crying, "No one's a master over me!"  
  
And the whispering voices came again to her ears: "She is the Master of the Crests."  
  
"Their master-"  
  
"And she has to find the others."  
  
"There are more?"  
  
"Give them all to him-to her master."  
  
"And kill the rest."  
  
"More of what?" Kari questioned in her confusion as she looked around trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. Then, she cried as she looked to the stranger in shadows, "Who are you?! Who are all of you?!"  
  
The voices continued whispering, growing louder in her ears and more chaotic until she could not make out what they were saying anymore. She let out a groan, covered her ears, and closed her eyes, her head starting to throb. "Please…please, go away…" she begged as she felt herself begin to sob.  
  
"Not until you kill them all, Kari," the stranger in shadow boomed over the whispering voices. "Kill them all, except for-"  
  
Suddenly, both the creature and the whispering voices were silent, as she felt the presence of someone standing behind her. And a female voice said into her ear, "Don't listen to the whispering voices; they tell more lies than truth."  
  
Kari lifted her head with a gasp. However, when she did, she found herself sitting in the auditorium during the graduation ceremony, the girl beside her shaking her shoulder. "Kari," the girl whispered. "Kari, they just called your name."  
  
"Huh?" Kari looked toward the podium where the principal was standing, holding her diploma.  
  
"Kari Kamiya," he repeated, growing slightly nervous.  
  
"Oh!" Kari cried, quickly smiling and jumping to her feet, although her face was bright red. She quickly rushed up and got her diploma, shaking the principal's hand with a gracious smile.  
  
"Good job, Miss Kamiya. Congratulations," the principal told her with a warm smile.  
  
"Thank you, sir," she said and then released his hand. But as she headed back to her seat, she frowned, no longer concerning herself with the diploma she held in her hand. Instead, she wondered to herself, "Did I just nod off? Was that just a dream or was it…?"  
  
"Smile and say cheese!" Yolei exclaimed, Ken and Cody behind her, as she raised Kari's camera to her eye. Kari, TK, and Davis. meanwhile stood in the hall, posing for the picture, Kari in the middle and both boys' arms around her, and each holding up their diploma.  
  
"Cheese!" they exclaimed as they all grinned.  
  
Yolei smiled and took the picture. "Great picture, guys!" she exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you three!"  
  
"Thanks, Yolei," Kari said as she took her camera back. "And thanks for taking the picture."  
  
"Oh, don't mention it!" Yolei said.  
  
"So we're finally junior high graduates!" TK exclaimed excitedly, holding up his diploma to look at.  
  
"It's about time!" Yolei added. "Now you just have all of high school to get through."  
  
"Well, let's just worry about the summer now," Kari said with a smile.  
  
"Ah, the summer!" TK said with a smile. "A whole two months without school!"  
  
"Yeah, isn't it great?" Yolei agreed and the others nodded.  
  
"Hey, guys, what's a glutton?"  
  
"Huh?" The others turned in confused surprise to see Davis frowning in perplexity, still pondering what had been bothering him since before the ceremony.  
  
"A glutton?" TK asked curiously. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, some guy called me a glutton for…uh…something, and I KNOW that I'm not one-I just wanted to know what it was, though," Davis explained and the others frowned.  
  
"But how can you be sure you're not a glutton if you don't even know what one is?" Ken pointed out innocently and Davis frowned, face growing bright red.  
  
"Well…"  
  
"Hey, guys!" Tai's voice came to them and they all turned to see him coming down the hall.  
  
"Hey, Tai!" Kari greeted him with a grin and an excited wave. "Look!" She held up his diploma for him to see. But, noticing that Tai's face was very serious, Kari frowned, asking, "Tai, what's wrong?"  
  
"Come on," he ordered when he reached them. "I'll explain on the way; we have to meet Izzy and the others outside."  
  
"But-" Kari went to protest, but stopped with a frown, not knowing what to say as her brother turned around and started back down the hall. And so the six, exchanging worried glances and frowns, followed their leader.  
  
"Doesn't exist at all?" Joe Kido questioned Izzy as he, Sora Takenouchi, and Matt stood outside the school, Izzy sitting on the grass, while parents and graduates stood excitedly only a few yards away. "But that's not possible, is it, Izzy?"  
  
"I don't know, Joe," Izzy answered honestly. "According to my data…"  
  
"But there's got to be something we can do," Sora reasoned as optimistically as she could.  
  
"But how can we do anything when we have nothing to work with?" Matt asked and Joe nodded.  
  
"Matt's right; we can't get something from nothing, you know. And right now all we have is, well, nothing." Sora and Matt frowned and looked to Izzy for some hopeful rebuttal that never came.  
  
It was then that Tai arrived with the others. "Hey, Tai," Sora greeted him half-heartedly. "Hi, guys."  
  
"Did you tell them?" Izzy asked. Tai nodded.  
  
"It can't be really gone, right?" Davis now worriedly asked, stepping forward the Izzy. "I mean, maybe we just lost it or something."  
  
"Lost it, Davis?" Yolei questioned. "How do you lose a whole world, Davis? Even you aren't that absent-minded."  
  
"I don't know! But it can't just be gone!" Davis argued stubbornly.  
  
"Now calm down," Tai ordered and the two were quiet as were the others. "We just have to think this thing through." He looked to Izzy. "Now, did you figure anything out yet, Izzy?"  
  
Izzy shook his head. "No, not yet, Tai." Tai frowned, but said nothing.  
  
"You don't think…" Joe began hesitantly, "That the digital world's been completely destroyed, do you?"  
  
"Don't say that, Joe!" Sora cried out, despairing at the mere thought.  
  
"Well, if someone did destroy the digital world, they did a pretty good job of it," Izzy remarked bitterly. "They didn't even leave any remains."  
  
"So it's more like someone erased it?" Matt inquired, a bit puzzled as were the rest.  
  
"Do you guys even know what you're saying?" Davis now angrily questioned with narrowed eyes. "You're all giving up before we've even tried!"  
  
"Davis is right," Tai agreed, seeming just as frustrated at his friends. "Now, come on! You're all acting like it's completely hopeless, as if we've already lost or something! We can't know for sure that the digital world's really been destroyed; maybe it is lost, like Davis said, or someone hid it or took it from us or-I don't know! The point is that we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions just yet!"  
  
"It's kind of hard not to, Tai," Matt argued. "I mean, you heard what Izzy said; there's nothing left."  
  
"Well…" Tai trailed off and frowned. After a pause, however, he suddenly exclaimed, "I know! Our crests!" He then pulled out his own crest from under his shirt. "We still have that left, don't we? So that's something, right?"  
  
"You may have a point…" Izzy noted as he began to ponder the idea.  
  
"Crests…" Kari then whispered to herself, and then, with her sudden recollection, addressed the others, "Oh, that reminds me! During graduation-"  
  
"Kill them all," her memory whispered into her head and Kari stopped with a gasp.  
  
TK, concerned, placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "What's wrong, Kari?"  
  
"I…" She trailed off as her eyes scanned the others. She thought to herself, "Kill the others? What if they really think that I'd-"  
  
"Kari?" Tai now asked, stepping toward her.  
  
Kari immediately let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck, fibbing, "Oh, it was nothing! I forgot."  
  
Tai let out a sigh as the others fell back into their dejected states. Matt then asked, "So, now what?" They all turned to their leader.  
  
"Well…did you call Mimi again, Izzy?" Tai asked, not knowing what else to say.  
  
Izzy now cringed. "Yeah, but…"  
  
"Well, what did she say?" Tai persisted anxiously.   
  
"She was kind of being…difficult," Izzy explained as best as he could.  
  
"Difficult? What do you mean difficult?" Tai questioned in annoyance. "She's coming, right?"  
  
Izzy winced and hesitated, "Um…maybe you should call her, Tai."  
  
And Tai frowned in puzzlement.  
  
"There's got to be SOME way you can get here, Mimi!" Tai exclaimed as he stood in the phone booth inside the junior high school, which was still flooded with students, parents, and faculty.  
  
Mimi scowled as she stood in her living room in New York and retorted, "It's not that easy, Tai; these things cost MONEY."  
  
"I KNOW that, Mimi, but-"  
  
"And what's going on anyway? Why can't we get in contact with the digital world?"  
  
"Look, Mimi, we don't have time for this-"  
  
"But I want to know what's going on!" Mimi interrupted for a second time. "Izzy said-"  
  
"Mimi, would you forget about that now and just get here!" Tai exclaimed with a frustrated sigh.  
  
"I'm trying, Tai, but the least you could do is tell me what's going on!" Mimi argued. "I'm part of the team, too, just for your information, even if I am-"  
  
"That's exactly my point!" Tai cut her off. "You are part of the team, and that's why I need you to get here as soon as possible!"  
  
"But I don't know how to!"  
  
"Well, then, think of something!" Tai snapped and there was a long silence. After a moment, Tai exhaled and calmed his voice, saying, "I'm sorry, Mimi. I-I didn't mean to snap. It's just that-"  
  
"Just tell me what's going on, Tai," Mimi told him.  
  
"We really don't know what's going on, Mimi," Tai answered honestly. "Izzy says it's as if the digital world's been completely erased…or something. There's nothing left, as if it's never existed."  
  
"Never existed?" Mimi asked worriedly. "But how? Why?"  
  
"We don't know," Tai said quietly. There was another pause. Tai then asked, "So, can you find some way here, Mimi?"  
  
"I don't know, Tai," Mimi replied with a frown. "Like I said, I don't exactly have the money…"  
  
"Well, can't you just explain to your parents that there's an emergency with the digital world or something?" Tai offered hopefully.  
  
"You know, now that you mention it," Mimi began, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "It was the strangest thing! After Izzy called, I went to talk to my parents about it-just in case I did have to go to Japan-and they acted like they never have even heard of the digital world!"  
  
"What?!" Tai questioned, nearly shouting. Then, noticing that people were staring at him, he lowered his voice and whispered, "Why on earth didn't you say anything, Mimi?!"  
"Oh, I don't know. It didn't seem like a big deal, really," Mimi began and then let out a chuckle. "You know how my parents are always loopy like that!"  
  
"Mimi!" Tai exclaimed in his frustration. "They're not THAT loopy!" He let out an annoyed groan, placing a hand to his head, feeling a migraine coming on.   
  
"Well, maybe they were just kidding around then?" Mimi suggested with a frown.  
  
"I-"  
  
Tai was cut off by his mother knocking on the glass of the phone booth. She then opened the door and said, "Tai, what are you doing on the phone? And where on earth is your sister? Your father and I haven't seen her at all since before the graduation ceremony."  
  
"Mom, do you know who Agumon is?" Tai asked her urgently.  
  
Mrs. Kamiya blinked in surprise. "Agumon? What's an Agumon?"   
  
Tai gasped, his eyes widening at his new realization. Mimi, who was growing impatient, now called loudly into the phone, "Tai! Tai, are you there? Tai, answer me?"  
  
Snapping out of his daze, Tai quickly turned from his mother and whispered into the phone, "I've got to go, Mimi. I'll call you later. Bye!"  
  
"But, wait, Tai!" Mimi protested, but Tai hung up the phone.  
  
Tai got of the phone booth then and brushed past his mother. "Wait, Tai; where are you going?" Mrs. Kamiya questioned in confusion as she watched her son start down the hallway. "And what about your sister?"  
  
"I'm sorry, mom, but there's something important me and Kari have to do now!" he called back to her as he ran down the hall. "But don't worry; I'll take her home sometime this afternoon!"  
  
"But, Tai!" Mrs. Kamiya protested, but it was too late for Tai had already disappeared into the crowd. 


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the nice reviews again! Oh, and OmnicromXR, I don't know much about Milleniummon other than the few things I read about him, and I thought it was an interesting premise, so I was kind of just planning on making it up as I went along...sorry! Hopefully I won't do his personality too bad, though, even if I am making it up myself...maybe I'll get lucky and there will be similarities between the two. I'll try my best, though, and...well...there is dramatic liscense, after all, especially considering Milleniummon was never in the tv series, anyway! And many times they radically change characters when translating them from a video game to television as well as storylines, just keeping one or two basic attributes, so it's kind of like I'm doing the same thing here with my fanfic. Hopefully that's not too disappointing, but, like I said, I really don't have any knowledge of Milleniummon other than the couple of things I read about him on the internet and they didn't exactly delve into his personality all that much, considering the stuff I read was more focused on Ryo than on him. Hey, at least I know he's evil, right? LOL!  
  
Anyways,here's chapter 3!  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
"This is ridiculous! They can't just be gone!" Hirokazu Shiota exclaimed in his outrage as he, Jeri Katou, Kenta Kitagawa, Henry, and Takato stood in the park, waiting for Rika to arrive.  
  
"Well, apparently they are," Henry stated bitterly as he crossed his arms.  
  
"But…but how?" Kenta now asked.  
  
"We don't know exactly," Takato answered with a frown. "Hopefully Rika will have some answers when she gets here…"  
  
"Rika?" Kazu questioned and then scoffed. "Where the heck is she, anyway?" He then added in a mumble, "She's always complaining about me being late…"  
  
"We don't know where she is," Henry answered, just as exasperated as Kazu. "But she better get here soon."  
  
"Well, Ryo's house is a far way off, isn't it?" Jeri inquired. "And I'm sure Mr. Akiyama must be worried about his son if Ryo didn't come home and really is trapped in the digital world; he might have kept Rika for longer than she planned, asking questions and things…"  
  
"Maybe," Henry reluctantly muttered and then glanced down at his watch, saying, "Still…"  
  
"Hey, Henry, what are we going to do if Mr. Akiyama doesn't know where Ryo is?" Takato then asked with some concern. "I mean, he's the only one who might know something."  
  
"And even that's unlikely," Henry added.  
  
"Of course he knows what's going on!" Kazu exclaimed vigorously. "He's only Ryo, the greatest tamer that ever lived!"  
  
"Yeah!" Kenta agreed full-heartedly.  
  
Henry scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say he's all that great, and I really doubt he knows exactly what's going on, whether he's back in Japan or not. And as for what we're going to do if we can't find him or if he doesn't have any answers for us…" Henry trailed off, his eyes averting to the sky and the others frowned. Then, glancing at his watch once more, Henry let out an aggravated sigh and questioned to no one in particular, "Where is she?!"  
  
"Hey, wait! I think I see someone!" Kenta suddenly exclaimed then and they all turned their eyes to where Kenta was looking to see Rika slowly plodding along, intense gaze firmly locked on an envelope that she held in her hand.  
  
Kazu scowled and crossed his arms. "Jeez, Rika! Could you walk any slower?" Takato, on the other hand, frowned sympathetically when she finally reached them and asked, "What's wrong, Rika?"  
  
"Yeah; you seem kind of down," Jeri added, frowning as well.  
  
"Not, it's not that…" Rika trailed off, her eyes still on the envelope.  
  
"Well, what is it, then?" Henry questioned impatiently.  
  
"I…" Rika fell into silence, however.  
  
Henry let out a frustrated sigh and exclaimed, "Well, would you spit it out already?!"  
  
"Yeah, Rika," Kenta chimed in. "What did Mr. Akiyama say?"  
  
"He didn't say anything," Rika answered quietly.  
  
"Why not?" Takato inquired.  
  
"He wasn't there," Rika replied.  
  
"Well, maybe we can stop by later," Henry reasoned.  
  
"No, he doesn't live there," she informed him, but then shook her head. She then swallowed hard and corrected herself, "He…he never lived there."  
  
"What?!" the others questioned in shock.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Henry then exclaimed in outrage.  
  
"I'm not," Rika said, finally looking up. "It's just like Renamon and the others; the Akiyama family never existed."  
  
"But…" Takato began in disbelief. "Are you sure, Rika?"  
  
Rika nodded. "I asked the lady next door and she said that she's never heard of the Akiyama family or of Ryo. She also said that no one's lived in Ryo's old apartment for the last fourteen years."  
  
"Fourteen years?" Henry questioned. "But that's how old Ryo is, isn't it?"  
  
Rika nodded again. "I know."  
  
"But does that mean…Ryo doesn't exist anymore either?" Takato asked, voice trembling.  
  
"That's horrible!" Jeri cried with tears forming in her eyes.  
  
But Rika shook her head. "I don't think so, Takato. You see…" She now glanced back down at the envelope in her hand. "The lady next door said that a boy came by her apartment early this morning around eight or so and said his name was Ryo Akiyama."  
  
"So that means he's somewhere in Japan then, right?" Kazu asked hopefully and Rika nodded.  
  
"I think so," she said. "Anyway, he left this letter with her husband and told him to give it to anyone who came asking about him." She then held up the envelope, with the letter inside, for them to see his name written on it. "It's his handwriting."  
  
Henry then took the envelope from Rika's hand and studied it for a while. "Did you read it yet?" he then asked.  
  
Rika shook her head. "Not yet…I figured we should all read it together." Rika paused before asking, "So, who wants to read it out loud?"  
  
There was a long silence before Henry said, "You should read it, Rika; he'd probably want you to read it out of all of us."  
  
"No, I…" Rika trailed off, her eyes quickly darting to her feet.  
  
"Let me read it!" Kazu exclaimed eagerly.  
  
"Or me!" Kenta chimed in just as enthusiastic.  
  
"No," Henry said flatly and both boys frowned with a groan. Henry then looked to Takato. "You want to read it, Takato?"  
  
"I don't know…" Takato trailed off uneasily and looked to Jeri. "Jeri?"  
  
"No, it's all right; let someone else read it," Jeri answered trying to smile.  
  
"You know, it's not like I'm asking you to read death sentence or anything," Henry stated in aggravation.  
  
"You never know," Kenta pointed out and Kazu gave a nod.  
  
"I mean, who knows what horrible things Ryo had to write about," Kazu added and now Kenta was the one to nod. Even Takato and Jeri were frowning with the same worry in their faces. "For all we know, that letter could predict the end of the world or something!"  
  
Henry groaned in exasperation, shaking his head. "Fine! I'll read the stupid-"  
  
"I'll read it," Rika resolutely decided, looking up with firm eyes. Henry hesitated a moment, but then opened the envelope and carefully unfolded the letter. She cleared her throat, and began to slowly read:  
  
"'There's a point where my memories just stop. I don't know why, but beyond a certain point, I've completely forgotten everything - who I was and how I came to be who I am now. What I'm told has always been - my home, my family, my life in this world - I can't remember always being, and the more I try to prove to myself that it has always been, the more I think that it has never really been at all; that there's some other world that I've forgotten and some other life that I used to live before I started living this one.  
  
"'But I shouldn't say I've forgotten everything completely; there's this dream I keep having. It's a dream of a memory - a memory that's been stuck in the back of my head for as long as I can remember. It didn't bother me at first; I thought it was just my imagination. But now the pieces are starting to become clearer - there are faces now focusing in my mind and I'm starting to hear the voices that belong to them, but I still can't remember who it is that I'm really seeing; they're just faces and voices of people I should know, but who are now strangers to me for some reason. There are no names, no histories, no personalities, well, except for what I make up from the few fuzzy images I seem to remember and the few muddled words I sometimes hear, and no link to me - other than the dream itself, that is. But they're people I used to know, I think, but who didn't know me, and there's one who I think was a friend of mine; and they're all in a different place, a place that's similar to this one, but still different somehow - a different world that I think I used to call home.  
  
"'And there's this man - this monster - that I keep trying to forget, but there's still a piece of him inside of me that won't go away no matter how much I want it to or how hard I try; there's always those two familiar eyes glaring at me every time I close my own eyes, and a voice that I'm afraid of, although I don't exactly understand why I'm so afraid of it, always warning me of the same thing: 'You cannot kill what has already fused it's self with Time…'"  
  
Rika then ended with, "Signed, 'Ryo Akiyama.'" She let out a sigh and folded the letter back up. She then looked up at the others, all with puzzled frowns on her faces, and she couldn't help but frown as well in her own confusion.  
  
After a moment, however, Henry finally exclaimed in his confused frustration, "Well, what on the heck is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Rika frowned even more, scrunching her eyebrows and shrugging as she glanced back down at the letter. "I don't know; it's just what he wrote," she replied quietly.  
  
"Yeah, a lot of good that does us," Henry remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Well, maybe we just have to think about it," Takato suggested. "I mean, the first part kind of makes sense. He said he didn't think that this was his real home; that he couldn't remember how he got here. And like Rika said, it's as if he didn't really exist here at all, so…maybe he really didn't."  
  
"But we all remember him," Kazu reminded Takato.  
  
"Yeah, but we all remember digimon, too, and no one else does," Henry pointed out and Kazu frowned. "So, then this isn't his home, then. But…then what was that other world he was talking about? And those people he remembered…"  
  
"'You cannot kill what has already fused it's self with Time…'" Rika repeated out loud. "What do you think that means?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm guessing it's not a good thing," Henry decided. "And I'm guessing that neither is that monster he keeps dreaming about."  
  
"Maybe the monster in his dream is the one who's responsible for Guilmon and the others' disappearance," Takato suggested.  
  
"That would make sense," Henry reasoned, placing a hand to his chin. "But who is this monster exactly? And how does Ryo know him?"  
  
"Well, he said he couldn't remember beyond a certain point, right?" Jeri then inquired. "Maybe that's the point where he started forgetting; whenever that monster showed up."  
  
"That's what it seems like; or, at least that he's forgotten how he's connected to the monster, anyway," Henry said. "I wouldn't say for certain that it's the monster that caused him to forget just yet." Henry then sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "But if he really has forgotten, that's not going to help us."  
  
"But even if he did somehow remember, we don't know how to find him, anyway, so…" Takato trailed off, frowning.  
  
"So, now what do we do?" Kazu questioned.  
  
"I don't know…" Henry trailed off, growing tired of answering the same way for so many times. "I guess we have to just wait and see what happens. If Ryo is in Japan, he's got to show up somewhere eventually. Maybe he'll come by one of our houses…maybe Rika's, at least."  
  
"Maybe…" Rika trailed off, looking at Ryo's name written on the envelope. "I hope so, anyway…"  
  
"So, we all just go home, then?" Takato asked.  
  
Henry let out one last sigh as he gazed up at the sky with hope fading from his eyes. "I guess so…"  
  
Night had already come and Takato lay sleeping in bed. The clock on his desk read 12:04 AM. A strangle light suddenly appeared in his bedroom, that of a digital field. Takato tightened his eyes a bit, but he still remained a sleep.  
  
"Izzy! Izzy, I think I'm getting something…" a voice called out as a fuzzy image began to focus on the other side of the light. Takato slowly opened his eyes, groaning a bit, as the voice continued, "Hello? Agumon? Are you out there?"  
  
"Huh?" Takato asked, sitting up and fully opening his eyes. He then grinned as he recognized the person on the other side of the digital field and jumped out of bed. Stepping a foot in front of the digital field, he exclaimed, "It is you! Tai Kamiya! I can't believe it!" His face then became curious. "But how…how is that possible…?" he asked as he cautiously rose his hand towards the field.  
  
Tai, in a bewildered daze, asked, "Do I…know you?"  
  
As Takato's hand touched the field, there was a small park. "Ah!" He pulled his hand back in pain.  
Tai shook his head and snapped out of his daze. "It doesn't matter! I need your help!"  
  
Takato frowned. "My help? But how can I-"  
  
"You have to get in contact with Agumon! In the digital world! I know it sounds crazy, but-"  
  
"The digital world?" Takato interrupted. "But I can't get there anymore."  
  
Tai gasped. "Anymore? You mean-you've been there?" He then suddenly turned his head. "Huh-"  
  
"No, wait!" Takato cried out and reached out his hand as Tai Kamiya and the digital field disappeared, leaving Takato alone in his room. He then frowned, dropping his hand to his side. "My help?" he wonder aloud. "But…but why? Was he even…real?" There was a roll of thunder and Takato turned to the window to see it had begun to rain.  
  
Izzy sat on his bed with his laptop in his bedroom, Tai standing a few feet in front of him while Matt stood off alone, arms crossed, staring out the window at the night sky, rain already having begun to fall.  
  
"Damn," Tai muttered. "What went wrong, Izzy?"  
  
"We lost the connection, that's all," Izzy explained. "Must have been the weather."  
  
"Who was that kid, anyway?" Tai questioned.  
  
Izzy shrugged. "I don't know, Tai. There are an infinite number of dimensions out there-"  
  
"He knew my name," Tai interrupted. "And he's been to the digital world. How did he know my name…?"  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it, Tai," Izzy said as optimistically as he could. "There's got to be a reason to it. One that might help us later on. And we've still got plenty of time-"  
  
"Damn it, Izzy!" Tai snapped "We may have time now, but we might be running out of it fast! We've got to do something before it's too late!" Silence fell over the three boys. After a moment, Tai looked up to Matt. "Matt, what's wrong?  
  
Shrugging, Matt replied, "I don't know. I just got this depressing feeling all of a sudden."  
  
Tai now frowned with worried eyes. "You're not…giving up, are you, Matt?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "No, that's not it. I guess it's just the rain or something…" He trailed off and gave Tai a slight shrug. He then let out a sigh and added, "It's just that I was thinking, if we can contact other worlds, then maybe the digital world really is…" He then frowned and admitted, "I guess I am giving up a little…"  
  
Tai sighed, glancing away. "Maybe when Mimi gets here…I don't know. I mean, we're all here and she's in New York and since she's one of us, maybe we're just not complete without her."  
  
"I think you might be on to something, Tai," izzy agreed. "We're all connected to each other-our crests, our powers, our connection to the digital world-it's through each other. Without Mimi, one of the links might be missing…"  
  
"Well, that might explain one link, but what about the rest of them?" Matt questioned.  
  
"I don't know, Matt!" Tai exclaimed in frustration. "Don't be so pessimistic! Besides, we still have our crests so it's not like we've lost everything yet. And since Mimi has a crest, maybe it will lead us in the right direction. If only we could think of some way to get her here…"  
  
"But not all of us have crests, you know, Tai," Matt pointed out. "What about Davis, Yolei, and Cody? They don't have crests and they're still digidestined." "That is true…" Izzy admitted with a frown. "But I still think it's important we get Mimi here somehow."  
  
"Obviously," Matt agreed. "I just don't think we should get our hopes up just yet. I mean, just because Mimi shows up doesn't mean everything's going to be solved."  
  
"But that doesn't mean we have to be so pessimistic, Matt!" Tai argued. He then sighed, however, looking away, and said, "Look, it's already really late. Maybe we should just pick up on this in the morning or something. There's just a few things I want to sleep on first before we start making any plans yet."  
  
Izzy looked up at Tai. "You mean…?"  
  
"Yeah, that kid," Tai answered, deep in his own thoughts. "How did he know my name…?"  
  
Matt still stared out at the rain. "Hmm…" 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, everybody! I finally got around to writing chapter four of this fic, lol! Anyway, this chapter is sort of serious, but the story is starting to move along a bit. The next chapter things start picking up even more, except that it's a lot funnier (I can't wait to post it; I've already wrote the beginning of it and it's really fun!). Anyway, this chapter's only got the Tamers, unfortunately (though Tai's talked about a lot), but the next chapter is more of a mix of 01, 02, and 03, although it focuses primarily on Mimi (hence it being fun and funny). But this has some good stuff in it, too; just more serious, like I said! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four: The Villain of the Story

Ryo Akiyama sat in the rain late that night, his arms wrapped around his knees as he leaned against one of the walls in an alley. The streets were empty, except for an occasional car that would pass. Ryo's chin was rested on his knees and his eyes were solemnly narrowed. "I should go and find Rika and the others…there's no use in staying here all by myself…" he thought aloud, but trailed off, reluctant to follow his own advice. He shivered and muttered, "It's cold." He was silent for a while more, staring at the rain as it pattered hard on the ground and in the puddles that had already been formed. He lowered his eyes toward his feet. "But say…say if they don't exist anymore either? Just like my father…and the digital world. At least if I stay here then I can still have hope that they're all out there…somewhere…"

He forced himself to hold back his own desperate tears. "How can it all be gone now? And why can't I remember!" he asked in frustration before growing quiet again. "Still…even though I can't remember, I still feel like this is all somehow my fault…that Cyberdramon and the Digital World are gone. That my father is gone…" He shivered again and clutched tightly onto his wet clothes as he pulled his knees closer to him. Closing his eyes, he asked aloud, "And why do I feel so afraid when I don't even know what I'm afraid of anymore?"

"You shouldn't be sitting out here all alone in the rain; you'll catch a cold."

Ryo looked up in surprise to see a man standing in front of him. He held an umbrella, which covered his face and half of his body in a dark shadow. Ryo frowned warily, glancing down the alleyway toward the vacant street and then looked back up at the man; how could he have not heard the sound of this man approach?

"I'm fine," Ryo finally muttered, lowering his head again.

"You're shivering."

"I'm fine," Ryo repeated.

"It's past midnight," the man, however, persisted.

Ryo, growing uncomfortable, stood up now and said for a third time, "I'm fine."

As he turned to walk away, the man said, "It's dangerous for you to be walking alone in the middle of the night. Especially when you're having such bad dreams."

Ryo gasped and turned back to face the man hidden in shadow. "How do you…?" Ryo began, but was interrupted by the man.

"You must be having bad dreams. Why else would you be out in the rain in the middle of the night unless you were afraid to go to sleep? Afraid of what you might see…or remember."

Ryo narrowed his eyes, taking a fearful step back, and questioned, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the man retorted back. "That's what you've been really wondering, isn't it?"

"I already know who I am," Ryo snapped back.

The man let out a sharp chuckle. "That's good. Then you must already know that you belong to me." He extended his hand out toward Ryo. Ryo gasped and his eyes widened as soon as it passed out of the shadows and into the poor, pale light of the night - it wasn't a human hand. Instead, it was large gray hand with long fingers and sharp claws. "And then you should also know that only children are afraid of their own silly nightmares, Ryo."

"That voice…" Ryo faded off as his hands began to tremble at the revelation. His eyes dropped back down to the grotesque gray hand. "You're…you're that monster…"

"I'm not a monster; I am Millenniummon - your salvation," the man countered calmly, his arm remaining still and extended forward.

"Millenniummon," Ryo gasped, the name seeming so oddly familiar to him and yet still so foreign at the same time.

"There is no reason to be afraid of me; I won't hurt you as you are the only one worthy to be mine. But you obviously don't remember any of this, do you?" Millenniummon let out a chuckle. "Your memories of the other world, including your memories of myself, were troublesome and irrelevant - so I got rid of them. Now the life I created for you here has become equally inconvenient, so it, too, has been taken out of existence. There is nothing left for you but me. Together, we will reshape all the worlds in this universe, past, present, and future. They will be erased and recreated however I see fit, and you will aid me in my destiny. In return, I will make you like a god."

"You mean, you're the one who destroyed the digital world?" Ryo questioned angrily now. "And you took away my father!"

"You never had a father here; you never existed in this world - but the other one…" Millenniummon trailed off. "And, as I already told you, I will recreate all of the digital worlds, forming one world for me to rule over. You are the only one who is worthy for this task."

"I'm not helping you do anything!" Ryo shouted, but his voice was still shaky as he took a step back.

"Do not try to fight me, Ryo; I have already become one with Time. I exist at every moment in every place of every world. There is nothing you can do to defeat me. After all, you cannot kill what has already fused itself with Time." Ryo's eyes widened at these familiar words when suddenly Millenniummon appeared behind him, placing his gray monstrous hand on Ryo's shoulder. "But tell me, Ryo, can you truly be that afraid of me still?"

Ryo let out a gasp and, on instinct, yanked away and started running with all his strength. He didn't know where he was going as he ran with eyes squeezed tightly shut, his feet splashing through puddles and the rain falling harder as he could hear Millenniummon's laughter echoing behind him. Thunder rumbled loudly and lightning flashed across the sky when Ryo finally lost his balance on the wet, slippery sidewalk and his legs gave way, his body no longer able to keep with them. He tripped forward, toppling forward and hard into a large puddle on the cement sidewalk. He groaned, now even more soaked than before while both of his elbows and knees scraped. But the moment of pain was fleeting as fear kicked back in and his eyes shot open. He quickly jerked around to see if Millenniummon was behind him. However, he saw nothing but the rain and a car passing by him in the street. Ryo, body trembling both from the cold and his fear, got to his feet and hastily made his way to a pay phone. He closed the booth quickly and with shaking hands, managed to dial.

* * *

The lights in Rika's house turned on as the phone rang, waking the entire Nonaka household. Rika's mother was the first in the living room, followed by a sleepy Rika and her grandmother. "Who could be calling at this hour…?" Ms. Nonaka muttered, but reluctantly picked up the phone. "Hello? May I ask who's calling?" 

Ms. Nonaka could hear the sound of rain on the other line as a long moment of hesitation passed. Finally, a young male voice shakily asked, "Hello…um…does a Rika Nonaka live there?"

"Rika?" Ms. Nonaka asked in surprise that her daughter would be receiving such a late phone call. "Yes, she does, but why would - "

"She does? She really does?" the boy asked excitedly. "That means…that means she really does exist! Can I talk to her? Is she there right now?"

"Hold on a second," Ms. Nonaka interrupted. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ryo Akiyama; please, I really need to speak with her!"

Ms. Nonaka frowned at the sound of the very frightened, very desperate voice on the other line. "Just calm down, Ryo. Where are you right now? Do your parents know where you are?"

"Ryo?" Rika gasped when she heard the name. She darted from the doorway to her mother and the phone. "Please, mom, I need to talk to him!"

Her mother looked down at Rika, surprised to see her daughter looking so frantic and frightened. "Rika…" she trailed off. However, seeing the desperate look in her own daughter's eyes, Ms. Nonaka reluctantly lowered the phone to Rika.

Meanwhile, Rika's grandmother asked Ms. Nonaka, "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"I don't know; but I think one of Rika's friends might be in trouble."

Rika then took the phone and asked, "Ryo? Ryo, is that you?"

"Rika. Rika, something bad is happening. There's this…this monster after me," Ryo said, holding the phone tightly to his ear. "I don't know where he is now, but - "

"I know; it was in your letter. But where are you now? And why didn't you try and contact any of us?" Rika asked. "We were all worried sick about you!"

"I…I was afraid that you might not exist…like Cyberdramon…and my father…" Ryo faded off, closing his eyes tightly as to try and stop himself from crying. Then, he blurted out, "But that's not important now! Millenniummon - he's after me now! I can't remember who he is, but I just…I need to…I just want to get out of here!" His desperate, panicked voice then became solemn and hopeless as he added, "I want…I want to go home…but I don't have anywhere to go back to anymore."

"Ryo…" Then, eyes becoming steadfast, Rika said, "That's not true! You can come back here! Don't start acting so hopeless now! Where's the cocky Ryo I always knew? The one who always knew everything was going to turn out all right? After all, how could things turn out any differently for the Digimon King, am I right?"

Ryo smiled a bit at this. "Well, I do always manage to land on my feet somehow," he said as optimistically as he could, although there was still an audible shaky edge to his voice that worried Rika. "Besides, who's going to take care of saving you all the time if I'm not around?" he then joked, trying to cheer himself up a bit.

Rika laughed and said, "You only wish I was such a damsel-in-distress just so you could play hero all the time."

"Well, what's wrong with wanting to be your knight-in-shining-armor?" he asked with a chuckle. Then, he looked up toward the rain and added sadly, "It's better than…it's better than being a lot of other things, anyway, Rika…"

* * *

"I'm telling you, I saw Tai Kamiya, Henry! _The _Tai Kamiya! It was amazing!" 

Henry sighed, reluctantly holding his cell phone to his ear as he turned over in bed. Glancing up at the clock, he groaned and muttered, "You know, Takato, it's almost one in the morning…"

"I know, but I still saw him!" Takato eagerly insisted.

"Don't you think that it might have been, I don't know, a _dream?_" Henry questioned sardonically. "Especially considering how late it is…"

"It wasn't a dream, Henry! I really saw him!" Takato continued on. "And he was asking for our help! He couldn't get in contact with the digital world either!"

"Takato, this whole thing seems a little farfetched, don't you think?" Henry persisted. "I mean, _Tai Kamiya?_ He's a character in a television show, for crying out loud!"

"So were digimon, right? They were just part of a card game and somehow they were able to become real. So why can't it be the same with Tai Kamiya?"

"Well…I guess you have a point," Henry begrudgingly agreed, sitting up. "And didn't Ryo mention something about being from another world in his letter? Maybe that's the world he's from."

"You mean, Tai Kamiya's world?" Takato asked before grinning. "Wow! That would be pretty amazing!"

"Still, it's all just hunches," Henry reminded Takato and Takato frowned. "And, if it is true, we have no idea how we would get in contact with Tai Kamiya again; we're having enough trouble getting in contact with the digital world, let alone some world that we've never even been to."

"But maybe he'll get in contact with us again," Takato optimistically reasoned. "After all, he's the one who found me - he was looking for help."

"Maybe," Henry doubtfully answered. "We should get in contact with the others. I'll call Rika and you can call the others. She'll be the most difficult in convincing that any of this is true and she definitely won't believe it if its from you - heck, I don't even know if I really believe it. Still, we've got to try believing in something because we're running out of options at the moment."

"Well, there's still Ryo, right?" Takato offered frowning. "Wherever he is…"

* * *

"Look at you, you poor thing!" Rika's grandmother exclaimed at the sight of the shivering, drenched Ryo. "You're soaked to the bone!" 

Ryo tried his best to smile, but couldn't shake the worried look from his eyes as he kept his arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders. Rika's mother, who had gone to pick him up, still had her coat on as she pulled out some warm blankets from the hallway closet. "Here," she said, handing them to him. "Go into the bathroom, take those wet clothes of yours off, and wrap yourself in this. I'm sorry I don't have much else for you to wear, but as there's only my mother, Rika, and myself…" She frowned, noticing his frightened and troubled eyes, and then said, "When you're done, you can give me your wet clothes and I'll dry them for you. Then you can have a seat in the living room."

"And I'll make you something warm to drink," Rika's grandmother added.

Ryo didn't say anything, but did what he was told. Rika waited in the living room, but even when Ryo came out and sat, they both remained silent, staring down at their laps as they sat. There was a struggle in Rika's eyes as she thought of what to say. Finally, she rose her head and began, "Ryo - "

However, as soon as she did, the phone rang. Both frowned and looked over at the ringing phone while Rika's grandmother came in with a couple of hot cocoas on a tray. Her grandmother frowned as soon as she heard the phone as well and said, "Another call so late?"

"I'll get it," Rika said, rising to her feet. She picked up the phone, "Hello; Rika speaking. May I ask who's calling?"

"It's Henry."

"Henry?" Rika asked in surprise as her grandmother handed an attentively listening Ryo a cup of hot cocoa.

"Here, drink this; it should warm you up a little," her grandmother said with a kind smile. Ryo frowned, but accepted the cup of cocoa as her grandmother left the room.

Meanwhile, Rika continued to question over the phone, "Why are you calling at such a late hour for? Did you find out anything about Renamon and the others?"

"No, not exactly…" Henry trailed off, reluctant to get to the point of his call. "Actually, I'm calling because Takato said he saw someone in his bedroom just a little while ago…asking for help to get in contact with the digital world."

"You mean…like another Tamer?" Rika asked.

"Sort of…"

"Well, who was it? Did he give a name?"

"Takato said it was…Tai Kamiya."

"Tai Kamiya?" Rika repeated as the familiar name registered in her memory. "The character from the _television show?_"

"I know it sounds crazy, but…Takato really thinks its true," Henry began to reason. "Besides, digimon were once just part of some television show until we realized they were actually real."

"Yeah, but that's different," Rika protested. "And I've got even more important news to tell you, anyway."

"And what's that?"

"I finally found Ryo; he's right here."

"You what!" Henry exclaimed in disbelief. "Why didn't you say something sooner!"

"Because you kept blabbing on about some fictional character that Takato probably dreamt up," Rika remarked offhandedly.

"Well, is he all right?" Henry asked. "Where has he been?"

"Well…I…" Rika hesitantly began, glancing back at Ryo, who was now staring down at his untouched cocoa. She then lowered her voice and said, "He's fine, I guess, but he's pretty shaken up about something. I haven't had much time to ask, but he says that someone named Millenniummon is after him."

"Millenniummon?" Henry asked worriedly.

"Don't worry; right now my family and I are taking care of him…though I don't know how I'm going to explain this whole thing to my mom or my grandma," Rika said. "But tomorrow we're definitely going to have some sort of group meeting."

"Obviously," Henry answered. "Anyway, I'll call Takato and the others. Tomorrow morning we'll meet at my apartment, okay?"

"That's fine," Rika replied. "Good night, Henry."

"Good night, Rika; and try to stay safe."

"You, too, all right?" With that, the two hung up the phone. Rika turned back to Ryo and gave a laugh. "That was just Henry; we've all been pretty worried about you, so he was happy to hear you're okay. But, anyway, he was just calling because Takato had this strange dream - "

"Tai Kamiya…" Ryo cut her off, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at his reflection in the hot cocoa, desperately trying to pull something from the recesses of his mind. "That name…that name sounds so familiar to me somehow…"

And Rika's eyes widened in disbelief.


End file.
